The FDA said April 1 it will allow Moderna to include up to 15 doses per vial of its COVID-19 vaccine, up from 10 doses.
The agency also boosted the maximum number of doses allowed to be extracted from the existing 10-dose vials to 11. But the extra dose may not be able to be extracted depending on what kind of syringe and needle are used, the FDA said.
Some syringes and needles may not be able to extract more than 13 doses from the new 15-dose vials, the FDA said.
"Both of these revisions positively impact the supply of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which will help provide more vaccine doses to communities and allow shots to get into arms more quickly," Peter Marks, MD, PhD, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the FDA's news release.
The updated emergency use authorization also allows for the vaccine vials to remain at room temperature for 24 hours, up from 12 hours. Punctured vials are usable for up to 12 hours, up from six hours, Moderna said in a news release.
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